President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily closing the U.S. to travelers and refugees from seven Middle Eastern countries is “shameful,” said San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy in a written statement.

“This week,” wrote the bishop, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, “the Statue of Liberty lowered its torch in a presidential action which repudiates our national heritage and ignores the reality that Our Lord and the Holy Family were themselves Middle Eastern refugees fleeing government oppression.

“We cannot and will not stand silent.”

Trump’s executive order blocked for 90 days the issuance of visas to people from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen. All of those nations have predominantly Muslim populations.

The order also calls for “extreme vetting” of all immigrants and visitors to the U.S.

Trump signed the order Friday. Over the weekend, protesters gathered at airports around the world — including San Diego International — to oppose the White House’s action.

McElroy responded with a statement Sunday evening, noting the United States’ “historic identity” as a haven for refugees. The president’s executive order, he wrote, is “rooted in xenophobia and religious prejudice” instead of a careful consideration of national security.

“This week is just such a shameful moment of abandonment for the United States,” he wrote.

The local diocese includes roughly 1.3 million Catholics and 98 parishes in San Diego and Imperial counties.